Garment reinforcement made of thermoplastic film

ABSTRACT

A garment reinforcement constituted of a thermoplastic film provided with a heat sealing surface and is capable of being applied under heat and pressure. The film of the reinforcement preferably has a thickness between 25 and 250 microns and is made from at least one of the following polymers: polyurethane, polyamide, polyester, polyolefine (polyethylene and polypropylene), polyvinyl chloride.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based upon French Patent Application No.02.01660, filed Apr. 10, 2002, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference thereto in its entirety, and the priority ofwhich is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a garment reinforcement adaptedin particular to protect against abrasion of the material of the garmentand against tearing thereof caused by contact with sharp objects.

[0004] The present invention applies more particularly to the field ofsportswear, particularly garments for gliding sports, skiing,mountaineering, etc.

[0005] 2. Description of Background and Relevant Information

[0006] Traditionally, in garment-making, the areas that are the moststressed can be reinforced by sewing yokes made of different materials.

[0007] International patent publication WO 01/67903, for example,discloses the covering of exposed portions of garments with anadditional yoke made of a high-resistance polyamide, such as that knownunder the trademark CORDURA®.

[0008] Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,150, which relates to a pair ofpants, teaches two ways of protecting the lower leg from the strokes ofthe ski running edges, namely by adding a yoke made of a thick polyamidethat is relatively rigid, or by providing a specific yoke, made of amaterial known under the trademarks KEVLAR®, CORDURA®, or SPECTRA®, thatis added into a corresponding cutout of the pantleg.

[0009] From U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,493, it is also known to provide anon-slip protective coating on the palm of a glove by PVC induction,i.e., the application of this material in liquid form and then curing.

[0010] In all cases, the reinforcements thus obtained always call for adouble thickness that has a negative effect on the comfort andappearance of the garment.

[0011] Furthermore, this double thickness prevents the garment fromhaving a surface that is smooth and continuous and, as a result,constitutes a “catching” area that weakens the reinforcement.

[0012] Additionally, the sewn yokes require additional stitching and cancause additional sealing problems if they are applied to impermeablegarments, since the seams will then need to be sealed.

[0013] As for reinforcements that are set by induction, theirpositioning requires several minutes for drying/curing. Also, inductionis easier to carry out on a flat surface.

[0014] Lastly, since these reinforcements are set in liquid phase, onemust always provide for the evacuation of solvents, which can also raiseissues with regards to the environment if these solvents are dangerousor harmful for the environment and/or for those who handle them orbreathe the emanations thereof.

[0015] At any rate, the additional yokes or reinforcements set byinduction present an excess weight that cannot be disregarded.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0016] An object of the present invention is to overcome theaforementioned drawbacks and to provide a new concept of garmentreinforcement.

[0017] This object is achieved in the reinforcement according to theinvention in that it is constituted of a thermoplastic film providedwith a surface that can be heat sealed and applied under heat andpressure to the garment.

[0018] Indeed, it is surprising to note that these reinforcementsconstituted by thermoplastic films have enough resistance to abrasions,tears and cuts, in spite of their thinness, to constitute reinforcementsfor sportswear, particularly ski pants.

[0019] Preferably, the film constituting the garment reinforcement has athickness comprised between 25 and 250 microns, or yet between 25 and100 microns.

[0020] Furthermore, these reinforcements offer many advantages:

[0021] they constitute a slight double thickness in the reinforced area;

[0022] given their thinness, there is no risk of catching the edges ofthe reinforcement and therefore of weakening the latter;

[0023] the stiffening of the reinforced area is minimum and light sincethe film is thin;

[0024] the reinforced area is impermeable to water and air, and it ispossible to use these reinforcements for a localized limitation of airpermeability on a very permeable garment. It is also possible to applythis material so that it straddles two pieces, overtop a seam, whichwill allow both to protect the seam against abrasion and to seal it;

[0025] the manufacturing process is economical since it avoids having touse costly materials and additional stitching, given that it is veryquick, the gluing is immediate and occurs during the curing phase,without having to eliminate solvents;

[0026] depending on the desired effect, various layers of film can besuperimposed or various types of film can be used. Thus, elastic filmsare preferably used in deformable and/or joint areas (elbows, knees,etc.);

[0027] in the case of tearing, these reinforcements can be easilyrepaired by ironing, at a temperature corresponding to their softeningtemperature which is lower than the gluing temperature, as the materialbegins to soften and to close the edges of these tears.

[0028] The film(s) used can also serve as decoration due to their color,transparency or translucence, as well as their surface appearance(glossy, glazed, mat).

[0029] The feel of the film can also be an important element of thegarment.

[0030] The film can also be an area for communicating to the user. Inthis case, the information, logos, pictographs, etc., can be printed onthe outer surface of the film, or on the inner surface, or on thetextile support to be protected. The last two cases will guaranteeexcellent longevity to these markings throughout use and washing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The invention will be better understood and other featuresthereof will be shown in the following description, with reference tothe attached schematic drawing showing, by way of a non-limitingexample, a preferred embodiment, and in which:

[0032]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the manufacturing process;

[0033]FIG. 2 is a top view of a garment having a reinforcement accordingto the invention;

[0034]FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the reinforcement of FIG. 2 beforeassembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035]FIG. 1 shows the method for applying a reinforcement 10 accordingto the invention to a garment 1.

[0036] In the case presented, the reinforcement 10 is constituted,before it is positioned, of a piece of thermoplastic film 11 covered bya non-adhesive paper 12, for example silicone-coated paper. Thisassembly is positioned on an outer surface of the garment 1 to bereinforced, the film 11 being in direct contact with the garment 1.

[0037] The assembly is hot-pressed at a pressure of several bars bymeans of a press 20.

[0038] As soon as the pressure is exerted, the pressing plate 21 risesand cooling is almost immediate. One then only needs to remove thenon-adhesive paper 12 and the reinforcement 10 is perfectly glued to thegarment.

[0039] The gluing temperature depends on the type of thermoplastic filmused. In any event, it must be higher than the softening temperature ofthe film.

[0040] As an example, the thermoplastic film can be made ofpolyurethane, and the gluing temperature then varies between 100 and175° C.

[0041] For polyamides, the gluing temperature is on the order of 140° C.

[0042] For polyesters, the gluing temperature is comprised between 130and 185° C.

[0043] For polyolefines, the gluing temperature is comprised between 80and 150° C., and for polyvinyl chlorides, the gluing temperature is onthe order of 120° C.

[0044] The thermoplastic films used are in fact films known for sealingseams and/or for assembling various layers of material with glue.

[0045] In this known application, the films are generally used in theform of strips and are always positioned inside the garment.

[0046] These are adhesive films, for example, that are sold by thecompany Bemis under the trademarks DEWFACE® and CLARENSE®, by thecompany West Bridgford Machine, or by the company Ardmel.

[0047]FIGS. 2 and 3 show the application of the reinforcement accordingto the invention to a sports element, in this case, ski pants 30.

[0048] In this case, the reinforcement 40 is constituted of athermoplastic film 11 covered with a non-adhesive paper 12. Thereinforcement 40 has a triangular shape and is applied to the medialsurface 31 of the lower pantleg 30, on the outer side of the garment, byhot-pressing according to the method shown and described in relation toFIG. 1.

[0049] Once the reinforcement 40 is glued, the paper 12 needs only to beremoved.

[0050] It is noted that this manufacturing process is very simple,inexpensive, and in particular avoids having to use additional seams.The reinforcement 40 is cut to the shape desired and simply positionedby hot-pressing in the desired spot of the garment.

[0051] As indicated previously, various layers of film can be superposedor various types of film can be used. Thus, elastic films will be usedpreferably in the deformable or joint areas.

[0052] A very interesting aspect of the invention is that the reinforcedarea of the garment is stiffened only slightly due to the thinness ofthe film used. Additionally, the absence of double thickness of thereinforcement with respect to the garment reduces the risks of catchingand tearing the reinforcement.

[0053] As mentioned previously, the concept of using such films formaking reinforcements arranged on the outer surface of garments,particularly sportswear, is completely novel, and it surprisinglyenables one to obtain reinforcements that are sufficiently strong, evenfor an application, for instance, to ski pants to protect from thestrokes of the running edges, despite the thinness of the film used.

[0054] Such an invention also goes completely against known conceptswhich consist in always having reinforcements that are severalmillimeters thick.

[0055] It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to theparticular embodiments described herein, but encompasses all similar orequivalent embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A garment reinforcement comprising athermoplastic film having a heat sealing surface capable of beingapplied to a garment under heat and pressure.
 2. A garment reinforcementaccording to claim 1, wherein the film has a thickness comprised between25 and 250 microns.
 3. A garment reinforcement according to claim 2,wherein the film has a thickness comprised between 25 and 100 microns.4. A garment reinforcement according to claim 1, wherein the film ismade from at least one of the following polymers: polyurethane;polyamide; polyester; polyolefine (polyethylene and polypropylene);polyvinyl chloride.
 5. A garment reinforcement according to claim 1,wherein the film comprises a single layer.
 6. A garment reinforcementaccording to claim 1, wherein the film comprises at least two layers. 7.A garment comprising a garment reinforcement, said garment reinforcementcomprising a thermoplastic film having a heat sealing surface capable ofbeing applied to a garment under heat and pressure.
 8. A method forreinforcing a garment, comprising: cutting out a piece of thermoplasticfilm provided with a heat sealing surface; applying said piece underheat and pressure on a predetermined area of the garment; cooling.
 9. Amethod for reinforcing a garment according to claim 8, wherein theapplication temperature is comprised between 80 and 180° C.